Livable Wages, Reasonable Hours!

[TheGoodNews]

There's been plenty of discussion about livable wages. But, so far, not much is being said about reducing the work week to more reasonable levels from 40 hours per week to say 36 hours. There are many ways to implement this. Maybe make every Friday a 4-hour work day. Or, to be fair to commuters who travel far to work, make Thursdays and Fridays a 6-hour work day.

There are also many good arguments in favor of doing this. The reduced stress on workers. The convenience and extra time they need to take care of personal matters outside the workplace, etc. Certainly there are better arguments for reducing the 40-hour work week than maintaining it. Why should people be forced to work 8 hours on a Friday after they've already given their all? It's not healthy. It's not necessary. It's not justifiable.

Livable Wages, Reasonable Hours!

[Sherman A1]

1. It's a great idea

As long as it comes with no reduction in pay. There also needs to be a move on shift workers who have constantly changing schedules. We need to put people first and the needs of the business should be a bit lower down the ladder.

[TheGoodNews]

2. Yes, it is

...and it's an idea long overdue. I think it would require either an adjusted wage increase, negative income tax or augmentation by Basic Income to keep wages at livable levels. We've had the 40-hour week for a long time after a long and difficult struggle by labor. I'm actually surprised in some respects that we haven't progressed since then.